Urban Decay Naked Smoky Swatches and Demo

It almost seems there will be no end to the Naked series!
The latest item to join the family is Naked Smoky, which for the first time sees the 12 colors grouped by theme, so you can easily create looks using the 3 "quads" in the palette, or by picking balanced trios just by choosing 1 warm, 1 cool, and 1 matte from the palette.

Warm Neutrals:

Cool Neutrals:

Matte Neutrals:

There are plenty of soft colors but definitely more deep shades in here, considering it's a "Smoky" palette. The mattes are slightly more chalky, which is quite common for mattes. They're pretty smooth and blendable though, so you don't need to worry that they'll go on patchy and uneven.

But as usual for Urban Decay, it's really the metallics that stand out. They are smooth, pigmented, and just gorgeous as heck. I'm more of a warm neutral girl, but the grey/plum shades in this palette are just too nice. The warm shimmer shades are beautiful as well of course. (I'm a huge fan of Dirtysweet.) The good news is I didn't experience quite as much fallout with this palette as some of the earlier Naked palettes. In fact, I didn't even need to clean the skin under my eyes after doing the eye look below.

This palette has only 1 glitter shade, Armor, which is good because they have a tendency to fall off the lid and all over the cheeks after a few hours. Still, this wasn't as bad as I remember some shades being in Naked 1.

One of the fun things to do with this palette - since the cool and warm tones are quite balanced - is to do part warm, part cool looks, like the one I did above.

I do feel several of the shades, and the balance of light and dark in this palette are somewhat similar to the Naked original palette, so technically speaking, you don't need both unless you're a collector and fan of all Naked palettes. This has more deep/smoky shades than Naked 2, so you can consider it if you want deeper options. And of course, it is very different from the rosy-hued Naked 3, so it's actually quite a good complement to that palette if you want a good range of different neutrals.

The Naked Smoky palette launches 20 Aug in all Sephora Singapore stores at SG$83.

Make Up For Ever Fall 2015 9 Artist Shadow Palette - 1

Look at this ridiculous gorgeousness!

The Fall 2015 makeup releases have barely started coming out and I already can say without a doubt that one of my top recommendations this season will be the Make Up For Ever 9 Artist Shadow Palettes.

There are 2 which will be available in Singapore at SGD$69 each (exact release date in July is yet to be confirmed at this point); a neutral palette which is permanent (No 1), and a pop color palette which is limited edition (No 2). I'm a neutral fanatic - and I have a few of the shades in the No 2 palette, so of course this was the one I picked to review. 

First of all, this is just ABSOLUTELY great value. Come on - you don't often find 9 x 1.8g shadows in Singapore (the typical MAC and UD shadows are about 1.5g each) - at this quality - for that price. If you have not tried any of the Make Up For Ever Artist shadows, you really need to. They are all buttery smooth and densely pigmented, and they're pretty much my benchmark for high-impact colors because they are much creamier and luxurious-feeling than typical highly-pigmented brands like Urban Decay and Inglot. 

But it can be a huge investment because MUFE Artist shadows don't come cheap. And to own  a good range of shades would usually cost you quite a bit more than $69. (You can usually only get 2 full-size Artist shadows for that price.)

The palette itself comes in the standard black and white box along with a booklet.

Unlike most cardboard packages, this one is hefty and heavy. You don't get the feeling when you pry open the lid that the paper is going to come apart or unglue itself at the joints after awhile. And the magnet is sturdy enough that you can probably travel with this and it wouldn't open up in your bag.

Ultimately, if you're looking for great products and you'd rather not be paying a ton of money for fancy packaging, this is it.

The shadows themselves come grouped in 3 trios. Each column is one "look", and the booklet shows you exactly which shades go together. 

There are also step by step guides for each of the 3 looks; Chic, Natural, and Smoky. So if you're new to all this and need ideas, they've got you covered.

But I'll say these are useful references. You can by all means mix and match any of the shades. They are neutral, and it's almost impossible to go wrong no matter which ones you group together. If you want a soft look, match 2-3 shades in the top 2 rows. If you want a dark, sexy, smoky look, wear colors in the bottom row.

Ultimately, no matter how many of these extra fancy stuff they include, it comes down to the quality of the shadows for me. And these rock.

The Chic trio is the only one that contains 2 matte shades. And they are super smooth. I don't get much fallout, amazingly enough. These aren't as powdery as a lot of other mattes around.

The Natural Look is more of a highly pearlescent neutral trio. If you want gleaming, dewy-looking lids in the most luscious metallic bronze and taupe tones, you will love this center column.

The Smoky column is more of a warm/gold trio to me. You get 3 metallics with a golden undertone; perfect for a beachy Gisele-esque effect.

And I swatched all these dry, without primer. That's how intense and rich they are. I can't say enough about what great value this palette is. If you were to pick up all 9 shades separately at full size, it would cost you easily close to $300 without a Pro discount. And that's too much of an investment for non makeup artists anyway. (Each full size Artist palette has 2.5g of product so you have to REALLY love a shade and use it to death to want to invest in the full-size vs getting an entire palette of 9 x 1.8g shades for a little over the price of 2 singles.)

I've yet to check out the 9 Artist Palette - 2 up-close, but I do have 2 or 3 of the shades (the neon pink, purple and one of the pale beiges) in a custom palette of my own, so I know the quality is just as outstanding. If you love the idea of having a mix of ultra-bright tones and having a few neutrals thrown in for good measure, then No 2 might be a better and more versatile investment for you.

FOTD wearing the Make Up For Ever 9 Artust Palette - 1 using the "Natural" trio.

The only criticism I MIGHT have if I really had to nit-pick, would be the fact that there are only 2 matte shades in the neutral palette (and what looks like none in the pop one). If they could include just 1 more matte in a pale color for blending, this would probably appeal to a lot more people. 

Still, this is just nit-picking. We can easily buy mattes and many of us probably already own some. The Artist matte shadows are great, but their stars are really the metallic and iridescent shades so I'm really not complaining about getting more of them in the palette.

Satiny-Neutral Daily Look Tutorial: Tom Ford Nude Dip

I was requested to do a tutorial using the Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in 03 Nude Dip. 

This palette is different from all the other regular ones in terms of formula. The textures of the 4 shades are a lot more silky and pearlescent, whereas the original palettes were composed of more powdery satin and sparkle shades.

These 4 shades are highly metallic and at first look - similar to Japanese eyeshadow formulas. However, those are very sheer. The Nude Dip formula is translucent but also much more pigmented and buildable. 

You get a golden-ivory, a tawny shell-pink, a taupe, and a chocolate brown shade.

Below is a simple tutorial using all 4 shades, although I do often use just 2-3 shades for daily looks.

This is a very subtle palette and the colors all blend seamlessly together. But I would say you shouldn't expect dramatic variations in looks because the shades are all pretty soft and neutral. You will get lovely dimension and a beautiful gleam to the lids though.

If you're a fan of shimmery shades, this is a PERFECT wedding palette.

As with most of Tom Ford's formulas there is minimal fallout (there will almost always be some with most shadows but his has some of the least), and the colors and textures are flattering even for mature lids. This palette is more pearlescent though, so if you have a lot of lines on your lids, it might not be the most flattering palette for you to pick out of his range.

I still highly recommend it though. I have a few other faves in the Eye Color Quad range, but this is definitely up there with Cognac Sable and Lavender Lust among my absolutely must-haves.

This used to be a limited edition palette but good thing they've decided to make it permanent.

5 Favorite Neutral Eye Palettes: Jan - Jun 2015

I'm a huge fan of neutrals, obviously, and I have a ton, but I figured I should narrow things down and just feature 5 of my absolute favorites - the ones that are not only in permanent collections (no limited editions!) but that I would pick over the others for various reasons.

And no - there isn't a single Naked palette in here because nobody needs another post about a Naked palette!

Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Trio - Budget/Drugstore

This one I've loved for a few years now and forgot about it until I did a clean-out and rediscovered it earlier this year. Not only is it cheap as chips, the quality and color combination are absolutely outstanding. A little powdery and crumbly maybe, but that's small price to pay.
That metallic taupe is one of the most gorgeous shadows around, and I'd say the palette is worth the price just for that shade alone, although the other 2 shades are pretty good too.

Sephora Colorful 5 Pale to rich taupe palette - Mid range

With the exception of the dark matte shade, which takes a bit of effort to build up in intensity, this palette is BEAUTIFUL quality. In fact I would say the pearlescent shades are actually equal in quality to high-end Dior or Marc Jacobs palettes.

The palette isn't much to look at packaging-wise, but the product itself is great and can take you from subtle day looks to dramatic smoky or sparkly looks as well.

Dior Eye Reviver Illuminating Neutrals palette 001 - High-end

Dior has several neutral palettes, including the very beautiful Cuir Cannage which I have a deep love for. But if you have to pick just one, I believe the Eye Reviver palette gives you more options for the price because it's got a matte base shade, and a gel liner as well.
I'm not a huge fan of having cream/gel products in the same palette with powders, but even if you ignore the liner, there are 5 beautifully creamy powder shades. Definitely a worthwhile investment in my opinion.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Cognac Sable - Luxe

Tom Ford quads are - in Singapore - some of the best high-end shadows to invest in considering how much product you get for the price, high though it might be. The colors are all tastefully assembled and the textures are ultra flattering even for mature eyelids. Plus, they are very silky and have minimal fall-out.

I've loved almost every single Eye Color Quad I bought but my favorite warm palette has got to be Cognac Sable. Golden Mink is pretty but in terms of versatility, it loses to Cognac Sable, because this is a palette where you can get away with putting any single shade all over your lids, and you would be able to get 4 completely different effects, from soft to sparkly to smoky to dramatic.

With Golden Mink, the differences between the shades aren't that apparent compared to Cognac Sable.

By Terry Eye Designer Palette - Luxe

I probably don't need to say too much about this 10-shade matte palette because I have a full post with swatches of every single shade right here. You definitely don't need to spend so much on a neutral palette when there are many other options around, but if you're in the market for a splurge that is as practical as it is luxurious, this is it. 

By Terry Eye Designer Palette 1 - Smoky Nude Review, Swatches, Demo

If you ask me what are some of the best luxe neutral palettes to invest in this season, one of them would definitely be By Terry's Eye Designer Palette No 1 in Smoky Nude.

I mean - just look at it!

It's expensive; let's get that out of the way. In Singapore this is $145. But let's not forget that you get 10 full-size shadows (1.4g each); more than 9 MAC shadows. And these colors are idiot-proof. I can find very little that is wrong with this palette other than the fact that I don't like the applicator inside, and I don't particularly love the rubbery purple case, which in my opinion actually doesn't look as posh and luxe as the brand is. 

That's a minor problem, but when you're paying this much, I think you deserve to get the best and most beautiful packaging.

Still, the product more than redeems itself. 

I don't really need to say much besides showing you the swatches. 

1. It is very pigmented. You hardly need to rub to get fantastic payoff.
2. Some chalky shadows can come up pigmented on your fingers, but do not adhere or transfer well onto the lids. That's not the case with this. The color transfers and builds beautifully onto the lids.
3. The colors are mostly matte or satin, but all the textures are consistently smooth to the point of feeling almost buttery. They are incredibly easy to blend, so even if you don't have mad makeup skills, you would probably still be able to get a great look with this.
4. There is a great mix of dark and light shades, spread between warm, cool, and rosy neutral tones.

By Terry Eye Designer Palette 1 - Smoky Nude; top row

By Terry Eye Designer Palette 1 - Smoky Nude; bottom row

And now I'm going to show you a demo, using 4 of the shades for a quick look. Not a dark look, but with enough definition and drama still.

Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette tutorial: Smoky Neutral Eye with Stacked Liner

I promised I would do some look tutorials using the Tarte Tartelette palette, but I've been having some computer troubles lately, so it's taken a lot longer for me to get to a station to edit all my photos. But here it is!

It's not hard to use this palette; the texures are extremely smooth. You just need to remember this tip:

All-matte looks can tend to go patchy and uneven, especially when you're trying to layer dark colors; to minimize this, dust on a light wash of a light beige shade all over your lid before beginning. Unlike with shimmery shadows, a creamy base can sometimes matte shades go on evenly.

The products I used for this eye look include:

• Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette
• Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er Precision Liner in Black
• Tarte Clay Pot Amazonian Clay Liner in Bronze
• Benefit They're Real Mascara

The shades used from the palette are marked out below:

 If you want to keep things simple you don't have to do stacked eyeliner. I just love the look because you get the crisp definition of black at the lash line, while still enjoying the fun texture and shade of colored liner along the lid.

For a last step, just finish with black mascara!